Hinged panel construction and hinge therefor



July 27, 1965 s. T. PARKER, JR

HINGED PANEL CONSTRUCTION AND HINGE THEREFOR Filed Feb. 4, 1963 NYORNEYS.

United States Patent O HINGED PANEL CNSTRUCHN ANB HKNGE THEREFR Santa 'L Parker, Jr., 513 San Juan Drive, Bloomington, 1nd. Filed Feb. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 255,778 4 Claims. (Qi. 16-163) This invention relates to a hinged panel construction such as may be employed in scenery construction or the like, and to a hinge for use in such construction.

It is an object of my invention to provide a panel construction which can be quickly and easily moved between an extended operative position and a compact retracted position, and which will be rigidly braced and releasably locked in its extended position. It is the further object of my invention to provide a hinge adapted toV be used in such a panel construction which will permit relative swinging movement between a pair of members about a pair of axes normal to each other, and which can be quickly and easily mounted on such a pair of members.

According to one form of my invention, a pair of panels are hingedly interconnected at their adjacent ends for swinging movement between a retracted overlapping parallel position and an extended coplanar position. An elongated brace is swingably connected adjacent one of its ends to one of the pairs of panels by a hinge comprising a pair of leaves swingably interconnected at one of their ends by a pintle. One of said leaves is xedly mounted on the brace and the other of said leaves is swingably connected to a plate mounted on said one panel. The brace has a rectangular cross-section, and the axis of the interconnection between the plate and the adjacent leaf is normal to the axis of the hinge pintle, whereby the brace is swingable between a retracted position in which one of its faces may be disposed in proximate parallel relationship with said one panel and an extended position in which its end remote from the hinge is disposed within the lateral extent of the other panel and another of its faces is disposed in abutting face-to-face contact with the pair of panels.

First means are provided on the brace and said one panel for releasably locking said brace in its retracted position, and second means are mounted on the other panel and brace for releasably locking said brace and the pair of panels in their extended positions.

Other objects and features of my invention will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. l is a rear elevation of a panel construction and hinge embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section similar to FIG. 2 but showing the brace in its retracted position; and

FIG. 5 is a View `similar to FIG. 2 but showing a modified form of my hinge construction.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawing, a pair of panels 1)` and 12 are swingably interconnected by hinges 14 at their adjacent edges for swinging movement between a retracted position in which they are disposed in a folded overlapping parallel relationship and an extended position (FIG. l) in which they are disposed in an end-to-end coplanar relationship. A hinge 16 is mounted on the panel 10 and comprises a pair of leaves 18 and 20 swingably interconnected at their adjacent ends in a conventional manner by a pintle 22. The leaf 20 is provided with a centrally disposed aperture 23 rotatably received around a headed pivot pin 24 having an axis normal to the axis of the pintle ice 22 and mounted on a plate 26. The plate 26 is mounted on the panel 10 by screws 28 extending through the openings 30 formed in said plate for locating the axis of the pin 24 normal to the plane of the panel 10. The leaf 20 also has a plurality of openings 32 which are spaced radially outwardly from the pin 24 the same distance as the openings 3Q in the plate 26 and have diameters slightly larger than the plate openings 30 to permit a screw driver to be inserted through the plane of the leaf 20 for access to the heads of the screws 28. As shown in FIG. 2, a sleeve 34 is carried on the pin 24 between the leaf 2i) and plate 26 to dispose said leaf and plate in spaced relationship for insuring freedom of rotation of the leaf with respect to the plate should the heads of the screws 28 not be fully seated in the plate openings.

The leaf 18 is xedly connected by screws 36 to one end of an elongated brace 40 having a rectangular crosssection and a length suiiicient to dispose its end remote the hinge 16 within the lateral extent of the panel 12 when the panels 10 and 12 are in their extended operative position. mounted on a pair of opposed faces of the brace 40 by screws 44, and a pair of mating leaves 45 and 46 are mounted on the panel 12 by screws 47. The leaves 42 and 45 and 43 and 46 are spaced equal distances from the hinge pin 24 so that upon swinging the brace 40 about the axis of the pin 24, the leaves 42 and 43 will be disposed in mating engagement with the leaves 45 and 46, respectively. With the pairs of leaves 42 and 45 and 43 and 46 in such mating engagement, a pair of removable pintles 48 and 49 may be inserted in the pairs of binge leaves to thus interconnect them and to interconnect the brace 49 with the panel 12.

As shown in FIG. l, the brace 40 is swingable about the axis of the pin 24 from its retracted position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 to its extended position shown in full lines in which one of its ends is disposed within the lateral extent of the panel 10 and its opposite end is disposed within the latera-l extent of the panel 12. The brace 40 is also swingable about the axis of the hinge pintle 22 so that in its extended position one of its faces is disposed in abutting face-to-face contact with the panels 10 and 12 to brace said panels in their extended position as shown in FIG. 2. The brace and panels are releasably locked in such extended positions by inserting the removable pintles 48 and 49 in the pairs of mating hinge leaves 42 and 45 and 43 and 46.

To move the panel construction into its collapsed position, it is merely necessary to remove the pintles 43 and 49 to permit the brace 46 to swing about the axis of the pin 24 until it lies within the lateral extent of the panel 1i), whereupon the panel 12 may be swung about the axis of the hinges 14 into a retracted position overlapping the panel 10. The brace 40 is retained in its retracted position generally parallel with the panel 10 by a hinge leaf 50 spaced from the hinge 16 the same distance as the hinge leaf 42. Thus, upon movement of the brace 40 into its retracted position, the hinge leaves 42 and 50 will be disposed in mating engagement with each other and may be retained in such position by inserting the pintle 48 through the leaves 42 and 50.

A modified form of the hinge 16 is shown in FIG. 5, and comprises a pair of leaves 18 and 20 swingably interconnected at their adjacent ends by a pintle 22'. The leaf 2G' is swingably connected to a plate 26 by a headed pivot pin 24 having an axis normal to the axis of the pintle 22. The plate 26 may be fastened on the panel 10 by screws 28 extending through openings 30' formed in said plate. The leaf 20 is also provided with a plurality of openings 32 radially spaced from the pin 24 the same distance as the openings 30 and having A pair of hinge leaves 42 and 43 are modicationfshown inV FIG.- 5 differs from the modiation shown in FIG. 2 in that the plate 20' is provided` with an olset 52 extending aroundthe pin 24 and disposed in bearing engagement with the plate 26' for thus permitting they leaf 20 to be rotated relative tothe platey 26 irrespective of whether the screws 28' are fully seated in the openings 30.

While my panel construction has been illustrated and described as employing only a pair of interconnected panels, it is to be understood, of course, that any number of such, panels-may be hingedly interconnected at their adjacent ends and the brace 40 may be employed to interconnect said panels and hold rthem in anextended coplanar position. InV such a multiple panel construction, the brace isswingably mounted on one end panel as lby the hinge 16 and is releasably connected to the opposite end panelby the hinge assembly 4Z-49. In some multiple constructions, as where the aggregate width o f the.

extended panels is greater than the length of the end panels, it rnayV be desirable to employ a pair of braces 40. In which case one of the'pair of braces is swingably mounted on each Vof the end panels and each of said braces is releasabfly'conn-ected to the centrally disposedV (c) a plate swingablyconnected to said second leaf Y on an axis normal to theaxis of said pintle,

(d) said second leaf-and plate having pluralities of openings formed therein whereby fastening means are receivable in the openingsV in said plate for mounting it on a second object, and

(e) means adjacent the interconnection of said secondV leaf and plate for disposing their adjacent faces in 42-49 llikethat illustrated in Y 4 Y Y spa-ced relationship to each other outwardly from their interconnection. 2. A hinge as set forth in claim 1 in which (a) said second leaf and plate are swingably interconnected by a pifvot pin a'nd said means comprises v a sleeve extending around said pin with its opposed ends abutting the adjacent faces ofY said leaf and plate. 3. A hinge as set forth in claim 2 in vwhich (a) the openings in ,saidsecondleaf and plate are equally radiallyV spaced from the axis of intercont nectionbetween said second leaf and plate and the openingsin said secondY leaf have larger diameters than the openings `in said plate. 4. A hinge as set forth in yclaim 1 in which (al-said second leaf and plate are swingably interconnected by a pivot pin and said means comprises an offset formedlin said second 'leaf adjacent said pin and disposed in sliding engagement with said plate. Y

References Cited .by theVExamner I VUNITED STATES I ATENTS 236,989 Y 17/25 YGreat Britain, D ONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, M. HENSON WOOD, JR.,

' Ezcaminers.. V 

1. A HINGE, COMPRISING (A) FIRST AND SECOND LESVES SWINGABLY INTERCONNECTED AT ONE OF THEIR ENDS BY A PINTLE, (B) SAID FIRST LEAF HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN FOR RECEPTION OF FASTENING MEANS FOR MOUNTING IT ON AN OBJECT, (C) A PLATE SWINGABLE CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND LEAF ON AN AXIS NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF SAID PINTLE, (D) SAID SECOND LEAF AND PLATE HAVING PLURALITIES OF OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN WHEREBY FASTENING MEANS ARE RECEIVABLE IN THE OPENINGS IN SAID PLATE FOR MOUNTING IT ON A SECOND OBJECT, AND (E) MEANS ADJACENT THE INTERCONNECTION OF SAID SECOND LEAF AND PLATE FOR DISPOSING THEIR ADJACENT FACES IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER OUTWARDLY FROM THEIR INTERCONNECTION. 